Reception on Saturday, October 19th, from 7-10 pm

at Reliable Street in Ames, Iowa.

I create socially engaged art, also known as SOPRA, which describes any art form involving people and communities in debate, collaboration, or social interaction (Tate). By removing obstacles that may prevent those not steeped in the art world from understanding my message, I aim to spark conversations that might otherwise not happen. I often create art meant to be touched and played with, that uses humor and cute, appealing imagery to make my subject matter more approachable. My work incorporates nostalgia and primal childhood symbols, presenting new ideas rooted in the familiar, to reach people with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. I aim to overcome the barriers that often exist between the art world and “everyday” people. As a social-practice artist, my work’s success depends on it being easily understood. I want to invite a childlike curiosity infused with humor to welcome vulnerability and open discussion. 

I want everyone to be able to own an original work of art. This impulse has led printmaking to become an important part of my practice. Showing someone formerly uninterested in art that it can be accessible and the message attainable means more than catering to existing “art people”. I see interactivity and storytelling as similar facets. Engaging the audience with the ability to touch and interact with my art, will assist them in discovering the work and the message. By having multiple sculptures in an interactive environment, I hope it will entice with the reward of discovery. When a story is told, the brain waves of the recipient match those of the storyteller (Renken). I want the viewers to feel connected to the subject matter by being able to decrypt the message with the knowledge they already have.

I am always trying to grow and evolve as an artist, this has led to recently discovering a love for sculpture. Art that takes up three-dimensional space has an immediate physical presence that anyone can appreciate. It can be touched and felt. It has weight and casts shadows. It can encourage interaction. Sculpture shares the space with those viewing it. It isn't an image of an object, but itself an object. These aspects of sculpture are a unique fit for my values and art practice. I want my work to be the elephant in the room. I want it to be hard to ignore. I want people to talk about it. I want people to talk to each other about it, and I want these conversations to lead elsewhere. Working on a larger scale suits my desire to present topics as loudly and clearly as possible.

We are wired to care about what we perceive as cute, and it is longed for throughout adulthood due to the loss of the age of innocence. Cuteness makes the subject matter more approachable and encourages interaction. Cuteness draws in the viewer. It’s human nature to care for cuteness (Ngai 950). I utilize cuteness in an attempt to subconsciously convince the viewer to care about the subject matter. The flux between cute visuals and critical rhetoric has intriguing tension. While appreciating the fantastical imagery the viewer is also confronted with the tension of the deeper symbolism. The rise of cuteness could be attributed to society's desire for the meaningless. I find the dynamic of the expected in contrast with the conceptual message delightful.

I want to invite a childlike curiosity infused with humor to welcome vulnerability and open discussion. Humor makes difficult topics easier to digest. Often there’s an assumed pretense of how someone should engage with art. I believe humor encourages people to move past this and permit themselves to have a genuine reaction free of expected social constructs. I want people to enjoy being able to decipher a joke and the feeling of being included, similar to being in on a joke or the mental reward of solving a riddle. I believe humor is a unique tool that is underutilized and discussed, it has the power to break barriers and help people see things differently.

Background

The equation of nonverbal autism with intelligence and creativity. My thoughts are abstract and energized, colliding with each other and branching out. Trying to force my thoughts into easily understandable written or verbal communication has always been difficult, yet I can create. In the process of turning my thoughts into visual and physical representations, the words become easier. I had to leave class for speech therapy.

The idioms in this series are feelings and emotions that aren’t easy to express with words. Interestingly, we’ve come up with idioms as an agreed-upon code of expression. I can illustrate these absurd literal translations that represent what I can’t easily express. It allows others to read the code and relate. I find this older series relevant because it was critical to understanding what art was to me. Art is my method of relating to the world around me.

My work is autobiographical. Thoughts often get stuck on a track, playing on repeat in my mind. Most women get diagnosed as adults, I was an exception. I went to a Christian private school in North Dakota. In 1993 I was obsessed with Dinosaurs. Jurassic Park had just been released. The school did not appreciate my artistic rendering of a raptor holding a human liver. I was excited to switch to the public school in third grade. My new teacher thought I had a hearing issue. I could only hear her when she made eye contact. She thought I taught myself to read lips. Specialists explained that due to a neurological condition, I was in my own world. It doesn’t even register that someone is speaking to me. 

 The clouds aren’t always a great place to be. This work plays with the tension of being cute, playful, colorful, and nostalgic while holding deeper meaning. Now I overpronounce my t’s. The clouds are heavy and dark. She’s submerged in water up to her chest. Water is a recurring symbol in my work. My irrational fear is water. Does anyone else feel like they’re drowning?

There’s medication for that. It’s akin to the sensation of a song stuck in your head, or the word on the tip of your tongue. I have to get the concept out of my head and create it in physical or visual form to relieve the pressure. I want my work to be easy to understand because I’ve never felt I was. My art is about communicating.

A sculpture set, one part is a medicine bottle with a “push me” button on top, the other is a brain with an alarm bell set into the side. The act of pushing the button will make the bell ring. The title  references the common Lost and Found areas in public spaces where individuals can claim their lost items. These physical locations connects the commonness of lost items, and the individuals repeatedly finding themselves at the Lost and Found.  

The sculpture’s two sections are not presented together. The concept isn't immediately clear. The medication doesn't tell you its purpose. The brain won't tell you the bell's secret. By finding both you can imply the cause and effect, maybe the struggle. I hope the quest illustrates the issues. My goal is to encourage conversations about neurodivergence, medication, the struggles of obtaining those medications, of continuously keeping track of and regularly taking pills, if it's worth the efficiency. Is it worth it at all? I desire the ability to explain my difficulties managing to those who can’t relate, and relate to those who get it. How did bananas become a symbol for crazy?

My father loves Jesus more than me. He probably thinks that’s a good thing. I was born in Dumas, Arkansas. I have no memories of Arkansas. Before I was a year old the church asked my father to resign, because he kept inviting the black community to church. When we lived in Williston, North Dakota, our church was vandalized because my father hired a black youth pastor. I never understood. Humans communicate with symbols. Humans communicate with humor. Why isn’t anyone talking about the banana? I want to talk about bananas. 

Five wooden bananas play different sounds when lifted from the table. The sounds reference different symbolisms of bananas. There is a rotary telephone on the table. When the telephone is picked up, the dial tone is replaced by a brief explanation of the project and an explanation of how the phone operates. If the viewer chooses, they can dial one of the five banana’s numbers and an explanation of the sound and the history of its symbolism is explained. If no action is taken the phone will play through all the explanations. This project is largely based on our society’s unaddressed and overlooked racism. Bananas are racist, but they’re everywhere, if you look.

Sometimes the idea I’m conveying is so big, it doesn’t seem to fit on a flat surface. The Bananas was one of those projects. All the individual themes and symbolism have so much history and are so interwoven in our society. How could an image possibly portray everything I have to say? How else could I portray how much we’ve sexualized a fruit besides making it moan?

I’ve always felt a bit lost. It feels awkward whenever I’m asked about my hometown. My background often allows me to make connections where others would not. My work juxtaposes images, subject matter, emotions, and ideas, in hopes of provoking inquisitiveness. If I can use a combination of symbols and references the viewer can relate to, does the viewer relate to me?

Do you often think about death? Growing up a pastor’s kid, I learned early funerals were a common and frequent occurrence. Entertaining myself in a church for large portions of my childhood, allowed time to refine my art skills. Do you ever get The Hearse Song stuck in your head? And the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out. The worms play pinochle on your snout. I tried to find the origin. There is no true origin as it transformed from a poem to a funeral march to many other things over the years. How Postmodern. Humans have used humor to cope with death for longer than recorded history. Humor builds an emotional connection with an audience.

The rug is to encourage the viewer to sit and engage with the sculpture. Velvet was used for the worm's bodies. The worms are filled with stuffing and cedar pellets, making them both squishy and weighted. This sculpture was created to encourage and aid in discussion on topics of death, fears, and spiritual beliefs. Humans use humor to deal with difficult subjects, such as life and death. Do you think our culture is so afraid of aging because we’re scared of death?

We always had a hamster named Sunshine. Sunshine could never die, in spirit at least. Sunshine wasn’t always the same sex or even the same color. Why do we hide death from children? Sunshine was my first project trying to discuss death humorously. There are a total of nine Sunshines, one being a guinea pig. These appear through the gallery. I wanted them to physically represent my recurring thoughts on death, spaced literally and metaphorically through my work. I use the same repetition with bananas and flowers with eyes.

Hide the deadly black tarantula… Daylight come and me wan' go home. The tarantula hidden in the beautiful Caribbean bananas is symbolic of the racism of our country. I delight in finding creative solutions to express my ideas which make the mundane fantastical. I appreciate the challenge of continually expanding my range, subject matter and mediums, while utilizing new styles, concepts, and theories. I tried to pursue what most would call more practical careers. I joined the Air Force. I was a mechanic.

The American flag is a well-known symbol. I wanted to change the flag to an accurate representation. It symbolizes the lack of choice, of forced participation by her hands being chained. America is not a democracy and the people are not free. Americans do not pick their politicians, corporations decide, leading our military actions to be based on economics instead of serving or even having humanity. While I feel most people can understand what Red White Boom represents, people don’t seem to enjoy engaging with it. It’s heavy and bleak, and there’s no comedic relief. 

I didn’t have strong political views before joining the military. I was twenty and not sure how I would pay for college if I ever figured out what I wanted to do. I had many opinions by the time I got out. 

How far disassociated are a child's ideas of a soldier to reality? Some may think of comradery, of childhood memories, perhaps small plastic soldiers to save the day from any imagined wrongdoing. Male ego and patriotism pit citizens against any other nation to support the capitalist machine. I spray-painted toy army men gold. Working familiar toys into the design felt right. Maybe I shouldn’t mention it was actually really fun cutting up money to create the Statue of Liberty. I thought it was fun. I had fun making it. I don’t think people find it fun. Does anyone remember the Banana Wars?

Utilizing the Statue of Liberty’s recognizability makes it an easy subject for symbolism. Gold foil is used in the crown and torch, currency is used for Liberty’s body. Creating Liberty out of representations of value and wealth connects value as monetary. America values wealth. America has become a privately owned business, with a private military, who acts in the best interest of the company, not the public. The rays of money from Liberty’s head reference medieval paintings that symbolize enlightenment. As opposed to a theology of a higher power, America is guided by money.

America is corrupt but is far from alone in its decay. America’s system has grown into a global economy. Advertising can now reach much further. The biggest companies are the biggest polluters, using unequal environmental resources, destroying the world in the process without consequence. The fast fashion that has grown from the world economy is merely one match in the forest fire of Earth. The Earth is shown resting in the flames of Liberty’s torch. What was once a symbol for freedom and new beginnings has become a world enforcer of capitalism. Haha, but we don’t want to talk about that.

It felt closer though. I felt it held people’s interest longer. I think it held enough different elements of halftone, gold foil, toys, and defaced currency, that alone was a kind of softener for the conversation. These three political pieces feel equally heavy, yet the one that’s the funniest and easiest to understand, people are more willing to engage with.

America is known as The Land of Freedom. Freedom has become a buzz word with a generalized and fluid meaning. A justification with definition too ambiguous to contradict. Freedom as an ideology derives power from the ambiguity of not being a fixed category or concept. Maurice Cranston states that “Absolute freedom is an ideal concept: something that the human person does not and cannot experience” in Freedom, Discipline and Bondage. 

The American Revolution transformed the idea of Freedom into a universal concept, setting America as an example of what Freedom could look like, and inspiring other nations. With America set as an example, it leads to justification of America’s involvement and interference instilling our values onto other countries. John McCain stated that he believes the most important family value is Freedom. Freedom has often been invoked to mobilize support for war: the United States fought the Civil War to bring about “a new birth of freedom,” World War II was for the “Four Freedoms,” and the Cold War to defend the “Free World.” The recently concluded war in Iraq was given the title “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” 

The United States government is a military industrial complex. This is the relationship between the government and the defense industry. The term was first used by President Eisenhoser in his farewell address. It originated as an American phenomenon of the cold war, created to match the military threat of the Soviet Union during the cold war. Eisenhoser warned of the dangers of influence of the military-industrial complex (President). America uses its citizens to fund corporations, using freedom to create the illusion of a boogieman, and therefore a scapegoat. The American idea of Freedom is a farce, a visible illusion, as clear as a bang gun.

I took many college courses in different degree programs. I pursued environmental science and biology. I learned about environmental issues and concerns. While I found future job prospects disheartened, I gained a wealth of knowledge about our world today and the crisis it’s in. I took the longer path than many in my pursuit of higher education and a career I could be satisfied with. I wouldn’t have the range of knowledge to explore a variety of subject matter if the answer had been more clear. I decided I needed to pick something and stick with it regardless. I was so gung-ho, that I became the President of my community college’s Environmental Science Club. I volunteered to take care of the beehives on campus. I joined the Student Activity Council to have access to funding. 

I felt guilty when I eventually changed my major to studio arts and graphic design. I convinced myself it would be better for everyone if I took this path and used the best of my skills to try and make a difference. I made nothing but environmental art for years. I tied it to my identity. I created an illustrated series about Fukusumi. I created a lot of nature prints. I did a lot of work with the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.

Depression has shaped my life, but in some instances, it has been for the better. It helped me realize when I needed to make a change. The Dakota Access Pipeline has still been my largest project to date. I felt I could make a difference and got very involved. I made a protest logo, and posted it as free access on the internet. I made extra posters and went to every protest I could. I found people going to other protests to give posters to. I made screen print versions to raise money for Standing Rock. I helped document the protests. Watching how those events unfolded killed some of my spirit. I was at the pipeline in Keokuk when the two halves were joined. It made me want to stop trying to make a difference. I also realized there are many social and political issues. For me, I think it’s better to focus on the bigger picture, as opposed to being so focused on a single issue and feeling like I can’t make a difference.

My head feels like a gumball machine, I don’t even know what’s going to pop out. I have so many thoughts in my head, I can no longer imagine limiting myself to a single subject. I think fighting against my nature was only making everything harder.

My mother sympathized with my divorce. She has guilt for telling my father he wasn't moving his family to Africa, even if he thought it was God’s calling. She thinks he still feels he missed out. Everyone thinks we're so similar. His hyper-focus is the Lord. Mine is art. I'm going to go to Europe and get my PhD. I didn't want to settle. I don't want anyone to settle for me. I wish I could be normal, seems it would be easier. Against my logic, I still want to make a difference. I need to know how far I can go.

How often do you think about your conscience? It would be easier to not care. Does the world ever feel so sad, you’re afraid if you start crying for it you may never stop? I think about it a lot. In a world so callous, isn’t the truest rebellion to be opposed as loudly and colorfully as possible, to be as honest as possible? In a world where everything is a copy of a copy, isn’t originality the most valuable? How can you connect with anyone without being authentic, yet we live in an unauthentic society. I never stopped making environmental art. I think about the future all the time. 

The concept started from being disconnected from our environment, the Earth. I was thinking off being an Earth alien. Spiraling thoughts of a human no longer in their natural environment, as the earth is no longer suitable for humans. This rabbit hole led to inventions to survive the environment. The narrative creating a biodome helmet, filled with plant life that will turn the carbon dioxide, created by exhaling, back into breathable oxygen. The helmet is similar to a large fishbowl, something that could be a found object. The background is out of focus and somewhat abstract, an interpretation of burning buildings and debris. What will the future hold with our continuation of consumer culture?

I think about escaping often, but where would I escape to? Tommorowland wasn’t my first work with this line of thought. There doesn’t seem to be a solution. People don’t seem to care. This work being so imaginative seems to distracts from what I’m trying to say, it’s still there for me. Trying to find the balance between communicating serious topics, but in a way that encourages deeper considering on them is why I return to themes and ideas. It’s similar to a riddle I’m still trying to figure out, so I keep trying new expressions of the concepts. 

I found a Fisher-Price TV toy but disassembled, it and re-illustrated the paper scroll that rotates to create a video effect. I changed the idealistic childhood illustration to a variety of current climate disasters and issues. Created to encourage discussion of environmental issues, and the contrast from childhood naivety to reality. Perhaps it’s the disability, but I don’t understand why humans are so entitled. I do find some humor in a strong sense of justice being an autistic trait. My father got fired from a church in Tampa for inviting the homeless. Isn’t that ironic?

The concept portrayed is mankind's unrelenting conqueror of nature. Playing with scale also lends itself to interesting interpretation, as size relations carry symbolic weight. Images of small organisms in nature, represented out of scale, transform the subjects into symbols of nature. Included in part of the series is a ray of bullets, similar to the historic use of rays of light, which often symbolized enlightenment. However, this enlightenment is man made and enforced by violence and not a greater supernatural power. The cowboys harnessing and controlling these symbols of nature, represents our culture as a world economy, but even more so the American culture. America’s roots are in conquering the wilderness and the unknown, to bend all resources to its will, with the glorified justification of Manifest Destiny. It continues even now with the evolution of consumerism, and ambition to colonize the global market and resources.

Often I think about the idea of manifest destiny. The concept of cowboys and how they have changed the perceived American history is a fascinating feat. Americans wanted their own version of the English knight, to have their own myth, representative of themselves in their new world. This was quickly compounded by The Cowboy being portrayed in ways that would most captivate audiences. The Cowboy represents a pioneer of strength, courage, and independence. It has become a simulacrum of America. The cowboy is only one of many examples of cultures creating a protagonist to save the day and right moral wrongs. Society is a willing victim of ignorance. Humans desire a mythical force or embodiment, that will make the world right, dogma optional. Now that the majority of society believes an imagined history, it creates a simulated reality.

Masking is becoming a more commonly used term. Changing the way you act around others to fit in. Are we making a simulation of ourselves? Hiding characteristics of yourself so they won’t cause isolation. You can create your own cage. It’s often not a conscious choice but learned behavior. Trying to unmask is its own struggle, especially when it has become second nature.

Basketcase is a human bust that shows emotion but is covered by a cage. Crafted in a basket style, it masks the emotion behind it, creating a more vague form. The two components of this sculpture are free-standing. The basket portion of the sculpture can be moved to cover the bust portion of the sculpture or to reveal it. The ability for the viewer to interact with this work reinforces that masking is a choice we make. The audience can choose to have the mask pressed against the bust, hiding the emotion but highlighting how well the forms fit together - the high masking skill. Alternatively, the viewer can choose to leave the mask away from the bust, showing the deeper emotion on the bust when not hidden. The bust was created without defining features to allow the viewer to imagine themselves in the work. This work was designed to engage conversations about masking, an act we perform that can be hard to separate from our true selves. This sculpture expresses some of my thoughts and feelings about being a neurodivergent individual and the benefits and harms of trying to appear normal or attempting to fit in. The bust was created from cedar, the mask was created from reclaimed lamination strips. 

My friend was playing the “what sound does the animal make” game with her twins. The girls ask what sound a butterfly makes. She said, they scream. They’re just too small to hear. The butterfly symbolizes traditional femininity - beautiful and delicate. I wanted to make it loud. It seems we go unheard, but that shouldn’t stop us from screaming.

Flowers are akin to butterflies. They represent the feminine. I hate being called pretty. I have so many better traits. I hate my art being called pretty. It has so much more depth than that. Women understand what it’s like to be objectified. Eyes are associated with intelligence. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The eyes are the window to the soul. By adding eyes to flowers, I’m symbolizing the intelligence and soul behind what would otherwise just be seen as a pretty object.

I worked in Gentlemen’s clubs for over half my life. If men are going to feel entitled to women either way, but are willing to pay for attention, I don’t understand why women are looked down on for seizing the opportunity of a rare advantage. It seems the stereotypes on sex workers just continues the societal acceptance of victim blaming. I don't have daddy issues. The issue is he's just like me. Or is it that I'm just like him? I prefer dating younger. Most people my age have stopped dreaming. I can’t relate. It's crazy what Tinder can teach you about yourself. I didn't realize I became a older woman after not dating for a decade.

Heart of Gold contrasts symbolism and lore with ideas of virtue, accusation, innocence, and the treatment of women. Remixing an idiom that expression alludes to gold in the sense of something valued for its goodness. She was a priestess to the goddess Athena, devoted to celibacy. She rejected Neptune, who raped Medusa in Athena's temple. Instead of blaming Neptune, Athena punished Medusa for the violation of her temple, transforming her into a monster. Never could a man want her again. I wonder if Medusa would’ve minded this fate? As she was both mortal and had the ability to turn men to stone, Perseus cut off her head. He kept it to use as a weapon.

We live in a world based on patriarchal values that elevate the power and heroism of men, and diminish the value of women. She was beautiful and kind-natured. I think the tragedy is her still being portrayed as a monster and not a victim. The reason most abuse victims don’t come forward, is the fear of being judged or blamed. Me too.

You Look Prettier When You Smile is a video project of women's faces forced into smiles. The video loops on a tube TV, set upon wooden shoulders. It was created to encourage discussion on beauty standards, double standards, imposed femininity, and men’s innate right to dictate women’s emotions and appearance in public.

The lyrics, I’m just a girl in the world. Why won’t they just let me live? Plays like a top 40 in my head. I understood what this meant the first time I heard it. It was released on my eighth birthday. I love music, but I hate performing. I had to perform. Sing a song for the congregation as the money plates got passed around. Stand at the door. Smile as every person leaves, through forced embraces and unwanted kisses. Can’t I at least choose my facial expressions?

Are high highs worth low lows? I ask as if it’s a choice. I wish I was different, but I can only be me. Why does everything cut so deep? Emotions that feel bigger than words. It is an isolating feeling. This sensation must be somewhat universal. Others must feel swept into their internal current. This shared expression makes me feel less alone. Cry your eyes out. No one wants to talk about it. It’s such a big feeling, I wanted to make it bigger.

A wooden figure in a kiddie pool. Water pours from its empty eye sockets. Two wooden globes float. The human form was created without distinguishing features to allow the viewer to imagine themselves. The placement in the kiddie pool references the idealized life - of happy being a norm. Pointing out the distinction between real and expectation or the ideal and the reality. The audience can play with the eyeballs. The figure cries continuously.

I find humor where others do not. I see tragedy where most don’t. The sculpture is my manifestation of a reflecting pool. It symbolizes all the naive dreams, ideas, and outlooks I once held. The childlike hopeful expectation met with the reality of our world.

My emotions can feel too big. I feel too much. It feels like it will never end. Many times I’ve wondered when I’ll be able to stop crying. I find this idiom as a comfort because it reminds me that I’m not alone. I hope this sculpture engages conversation on deep emotions, the ones society encourages us to hide rather than address. Why is that? This sculpture represents my desire to explain how deeply I feel, how it feels infinite, powerlessness to emotion, and the need to relate to others. 

We wave to greet each other. We waive to say goodbye. We wave to acknowledge we see each other, even if it’s just as ships passing in the night. We wave to show our location. We wave to call for help. We wave to show we’re not armed. We wave to show surrender. With variations, the wave has become a worldwide gesture. An outstretched hand with a palm up is a universal gesture for begging or requesting, extending beyond human cultures and into other primate species.

I’m still unraveling my relationship with water. It’s hard to pinpoint where it started. I almost drowned when I was a child. I assumed that was the origin. I almost drowned in a man-made pool, but my fear has always been of natural bodies of water. There’s a tie between people who have seizures and fear of water or drowning. Not only is it statistically more likely, it’s a similar sensation. It’s not being able to see. It’s the unknown.

I painted the hands as a pattern to represent it being conceptual as opposed to literal people drowning. Some may see this work as dark but I don't. There are so many oppressive systems in our world. We all have our struggles. This work symbolizes that while we all may have phases where we feel like we're drowning, we're not alone. Being compassionate, understanding, and authentic can be the rope someone else holds on to. I feel this idea, while not complex, still needs another expression. Maybe it is the next concept to crawl out of my mind and into the physical world. In the meantime, I’ll do my best to keep floating along.